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Groups collecting items for disaster relief

by TANIAH TUDOR

Press Argus-Courier Staff

Area groups are collecting items to assist those who have lost their homes and businesses in the tornadoes that struck southeast Oklahoma City during a series of storms that swept through the area May 19 and 20.

Relief efforts are being organized for residents of Moore and Shawnee with item drop-offs at JR’s Truck Service and Detail at 601 Access Road and Turf-Pro USA at 102 North 6th Street.

C & T Trucking personnel and members of Kibler Baptist Church and Beyond Church in Alma are organizing the collection at JR’s.

Donation drop-off times are Monday-Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m and Sunday 2-4 p.m.

Additional drop-offs can be made at Beyond Church during Sunday service or Tuesday-Thursday from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Items requested by the group are bottled water, Gatorade, non-perishable food items, baby formula, department store and restaurant gift cards, toiletries and first aid supplies. New underwear is the only clothing item being requested.

Those organizing the collection are hoping to fill a semi trailer with the needed items, and plan to leave Friday, May 31 for Shawnee.

Turf-Pro personnel are organizing their own collection effort, asking for in-need items to be dropped off at their office or arranged to be picked up.

Hundreds of homes, businesses and schools were devastated by the deadly weather that reports state began May 15 with a tornado in Granbury, Texas, that rated 4 on the 5-point Enhanced Fujita scale and ended May 20 with the deadly EF-5 tornado in Moore.

The tornado that hit Moore had winds exceeding 200 miles per hour and was estimated to be about two miles wide; 24 people are reported dead, at least 377 injured and many more are still missing, according to reports.

For those wishing to make monetary rather than item donations to the tornado victims, those can be made online to the Red Cross at redcross.org, or text TORNADO to 32333 to make a $10 donation to the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma.